Heart of the Robot
by Kantolin
Summary: Megaman... who is he? Who was he? Where did he come from... Thisis rated PG due to some light swearing within, and I'm posting sektors as I complete them, so deal with the wait. Also, be warned... I write a chapter until I find a stopping point, whether
1. Sektor 0: Beginnings and Trifles

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Sektor 0: Beginnings and Trifles

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Beginnings… usually happen over trifles.

Yes… makes me think back to where it began.

How everything I know of, everything I trusted in, proved false.

Even him….

I'm spacing… again… you don't understand. That's fine, neither do I. But maybe, if you walk in my shoes, see what I've seen, you'll feel. Not understand… but feel.

Feel what it was like to be me…

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	2. Sektor 1: Shattered Innocence...

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Sektor 1: Shattered Innocence…

"Gerrod?"

The boy turned, to see his younger brother walking slowly towards him. "I've been looking all over for you, Sean. We're going to miss our train."

Sean, pronounced like 'scene' rather than 'Shawn', was full of excitement. At age 14, he was still very interested in seeing the world, which was what they were doing. "I can't WAIT to go! I had to go back and buy more film!"

Gerrod smiled, ruffling his younger brother's hair. He wasn't much older, at 16, but he loved his younger brother and enjoyed the excitement. "You remembered your toothbrush and all?"

"Yeah… mom wouldn't let me forget." Sean stretched, having been too excited to sleep the previous night. "Stores in trainports are expensive…. Ugh…." 

Gerrod smiled, then glanced at his watch. "Oh, geez, we have to hurry!" he exclaimed, turning and running. Sean quickly followed suit, shouldering his large backpack.

The pair barely made it on the train before the train was ready to go. It departed from the station at a slow pace, quickly speeding up. Sean looked out the window, watching the world rush by.

"I'm SO glad mom lets us go on these trips alone now… she used to keep us locked up inside since dad died."

"Yeah." Gerrod wasn't exactly sure what to say to that. Their father had died when both were younger, and the mother had never quite gotten over it. 

Gerrod wasn't too sure he had either.

He noticed his brother, who was thoroughly happy and content. Smiling, he let out a content sigh.

"Something wrong?" Asked Sean, turning.

"No." Gerrod smiled at his brother for a moment. 

"Remember our promise?" Asked Sean, smiling back. Gerrod nodded. 

"I promise to never let anything bad happen to you."

"And?"

"And, some day, the two of us will touch a star."

"Just the two of us, together, soaring through space." Sean finished contentedly, suddenly tired. Gerrod rolled his eyes, he thought it was a very strange promise. But it made Sean happy, and Gerrod liked making Sean happy.

"I promise to never let anything bad happen to you…" He whispered to the sleeping Sean, glancing over the distant horizon. "I'll die first…" Within a few minutes, he was asleep as well.

Exactly 27 minutes later, there was a loud thundering crash. The vibrations were felt for some distance, dust flying high into the air. However… Gerrod and Sean… did not see it. Not with their own eyes.

They would never see anything again with their eyes.

Stories the next day said the train had hit a bent rail. According to the media, the train flipped off of the rails, exploding into a giant fireball, and devastating the nearby countryside. Not a single body was found. But the reason for three of the missing bodies was not the flames…

"What was that?"

The scientist leapt away from his experiment, glaring out the window. His partner did likewise, as both had heard the earth-shattering noise.

"Oh my!" Exclaimed the scientist, seeing the fireball which was a train. He noted three bodies fly in his direction, all boys.

Neglecting their coats, the two scientists rushed outside. The first knelt over the first prone figure.

"No vital signs… he's dead."

"You shouldn't be surprised, after what just happened."

Ignoring his associate, the first scientist ran to the second person. Placing his fingers over the neck area, he paused.

"He has a pulse! He lives!"

"But not for long. You can tell how much blood he's lost, he'll be dead in a few minutes."

By this point, the first scientist had reached the third person. "This one is alive as well, but in no better condition. Quickly, we must get them inside!"

The second scientist rolled his eyes, but pressed a button on a small remote-like device. Three large robots quickly ran out of the building, stopping right next to the scientist.

"Bring these two inside, quickly, and try not to harm them more than they are already!"

Two of the robots complied, carefully lifting the mangled bodies. The third robot, unneeded for the moment, turned and returned to whatever it was doing.

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	3. Sektor 2: To Alter Reality

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Sektor 2: To Alter Reality

"Quickly now!"

The two scientists began working as quickly as they could. "The two boys could not have been hurt at a more convenient time, it was almost as if they planned it themselves." Thought the first.

He then shook his head to clear it. "What nonsense." He muttered. "As if we would plan a train wreck like this."

"Light… it's time to begin the transfer."

Dr. Light, in the relative hurry, agreed readily. "Yes, Dr. Wily, we had better hurry. Despite our life support systems, it is unlikely that these two will live for an extended length of time."

Both got to work, quickly typing commands into the large supercomputers. Both boy's life signs had dropped to 18%, steadily decreasing.

"We have to decide." Said Dr. Wily, after a time. "Are we going to give them self-determination?"

"I'm not… not sure if the world is ready." Answered Dr. Light, after a moment, still typing commands. "But I believe they deserve it…"

Dr. Wily sneered. "Light, they are human. If anyone can handle self-determination, it's a human. Could YOU live without self-determination?"

Dr. Light sighed. "You're right, Dr. Wily… let us work quickly. Their life signs are down to 11%."

The pair quickly set to work, racing the clock. Gears whirred, lights flashed, and assorted objects beeped.

Finally, at 2%, the two scientists completed the action they had been performing. Both boy's vital signs suddenly dove to 0%, which was expected. Out of the machine came two small-ish chips. Dr. Light gently lifted one with a strange, cushioned, metallic device.

"They were hurt quite badly… their memories will be imperfect."

"At least they'll be alive." Dr. Wily seemed strangely pleased about the proceedings. Dr. Light noticed this, but remained silent. 

"The part which needed quick performance is completed… all that's left is to finish the two Seight 0s." The word 'Seight' was pronounced the exact same as 'Sight', but it had a different meaning. Dr. Wily nodded.

The two began to walk to the back room, Dr. Light pausing for a moment. "The entire human consciousness onto a computer chip… is it really possible?"

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	4. Sektor 3: An Awakened Mind

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Sektor 3: An Awakened Mind

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What's going on?

I feel so… strange. Strong, somehow, resilient.

Glancing back and forth, I can see two older men. One is typing on a computer, the other looking over the print-out. Both dressed like your textbook scientist.

Weird…

I feel like I've been asleep forever… has the train stopped? Staring around the room, I realize with a start that this is definitely not the train. It's a laboratory of some sort.

I flex my left hand experimentally. It seems to be working correctly. I look around for my brother.

Brother…. my name? Why does Gerrod come to mind?

Never mind… I have to get out of here… I'm lying down on a table, and I've seen one too many horror shows about scientists performing experiments on people lying on tables.

I slowly stand, as quietly as possible, trying not to alert the two scientists. Silently, I slip off the table, cushioning my fall.

I take a step towards the door, staring at the scientists the entire time. Finally, I turn, and raise my right hand to grasp the sliding door handle.

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	5. Sektor 4: In the Face of Truth...

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Sektor 4: In the Face of Truth…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

THAT got both scientist's attention, quickly. The figure was staring at his right hand.

Except it wasn't a hand. It was a small blaster-type apparatus, with a power reading of some sort built in. It was a reddish color.

Mouth hanging open, the being stared at his legs. The legs were gray, the large boots a pinkish red. Shifting to his right hand, he realized he had a hand on that metallic arm, with a round metallic shield looped over his arm.

Metallic?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he screamed again, jumping backwards.

"Please calm down!" Exclaimed Dr. Light. The being swerved.

"What… what happened to me?" The being exclaimed.

"This will take some explaining… please sit down." Dr. Light motioned towards a trio of chairs. 

The being was busy staring at himself, still unable to comprehend what had happened. "Oh… I'm dreaming…" He said. He raised his left hand, pinching his right one hard.

He then blinked. He had felt the pinching… but it was distant. Almost like a memory.

"Sit down." Said Dr. Wily. Not seeing a better choice, the being sat down.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?" He demanded.

"Well…" Began Dr. Light.

"There was a train crash." Interrupted Dr. Wily. "A train slipped off its rails and exploded, destroying everyone inside besides two. You… and one other."

The being blinked, again. "WHAT?"

"Your bodies were thrown from the train, bleeding profusely, and dying. We got you inside, and into life support, but it was obviously too late to save your lives."

"So… I'm dead?" The story was a bit hard to swallow.

"Not exactly…" said Dr. Light. "We recently have been working on placing an entire human consciousness into a type of computer chip. As you were dying… we thought… it would be best to perform it on you, to save as much as we could."

The being stared at him, not comprehending.

"We placed the chip inside a special made machine. A few other machines proved inefficient, but Proto seemed to work. So, we essentially placed your mind into a robotic body."

"I'M A ROBOT?" 

Dr. Light nodded. "In a matter of speaking. You should still have most of your memories, and your thoughts are certainly your own, Proto."

Proto leapt to his feet, swinging his arm to one side. "YOU TURNED ME INTO A ROBOT?" he yelled, very angry.

"Proto… don't be alarmed, it was the only thing we could do. You were dying, so-"

"MY NAME IS GERROD!" 

Turning, he ran to the door. Using his left hand, he yanked the door open, and ran outside of the room. Dr. Wily attempted to rise, but Dr. Light held him back.

"No… he needs to come to terms with this himself. We can watch him by satellite…"

Proto ran through the compound, lost. Finally, he found the exit, and ran outside.

He ran down the hill for a bit, then he slowed. He had intended on running until he collapsed, but he wasn't getting tired at all. Which made sense, because he was-

"I AM NOT A ROBOT!" He fell to his knees, wanting desperately to cry, which was something he discovered he couldn't do. A cape he hadn't noticed before rested on his back.

"My name is Gerrod Ranner! I am sixteen years old, and want to be an astrology major when I go to college next year! I'm good at soccer, and baseball, and track!"

He was shouting to the air, trying to convince himself of the facts. "I am NOT a robot… this is a dream… a nightmare… they couldn't have made me a robot… I'm human… human…"

He curled into a small ball, and then noticed something in front of him. He walked forward, and knelt to pick it up. It was a burnt piece of metal. Holding it, he walked over the next hill.

"Oh…. My…."

There was evidence of the train crash everywhere. The bent tracks, the burnt grass, the depression in the ground, the single lone corpse.

Proto fell to his knees. "This couldn't be happening…" he said softly. "I really… am…"

Could he LIVE as a robot? A mindless machine, performing orders?

But that wasn't entirely accurate… he certainly wasn't mindless. Since he could reason, think, wonder, he realized he wasn't entirely a machine.

"They said… they took my mind…"

Sighing, Proto thought to himself. Maybe… this was a good thing. It did save his life. But… could he really live as a robot?

His brother…

He realized with a start that his brother may have been the other body the scientists had 'saved'. He thought to his promise, to never let anything bad happen to his brother.

If being a robot would save his brother's life… he would bear it. He would pretend it was the greatest thing in the world, so his brother wouldn't be discouraged.

Sighing, he turned and walked back to the compound.

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	6. Sektor 5: One Man's Heaven, Another Man'...

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Sektor 5: One Man's Heaven, Another Man's Hell

"It takes a few hours for the robots to synchronize with the chip." Explained Dr. Wily. "So, your 'brother' will wake up in a few minutes, Proto."

Proto nodded, sighing. Dr. Light noticed.

"You would rather we called you by your old name?" Asked Dr. Light.

Proto paused, then shook his head. "No. I'm not the same person anymore. But… Proto… sounds so… robotic…" He trailed off, realizing how ridiculous he sounded.

"How about ProtoMAN?" asked Dr. Light. 

Protoman rolled his eyes. "Sure." That wasn't even remotely what he had meant, but he liked Protoman better than Proto anyway.

"This model is called 'Mega'. You were designed to be a guardian robot, while Mega was designed to be able to use every kind of tool efficiently."

Protoman nodded, staring at the other robot. The robot was slightly shorter than he was, and was a blue-ish color all over. It was more or less standing, supported by an outcrop of the wall. It slowly opened its eyes.

"What's… going… on?" He asked, blinking several times. 

"Sean… don't freak out." Said Protoman.

There was a moment, as the name Sean became familiar to him. "Uh… how do you know my name?" Sean shifted his arms, moving out of the small area he was inhabiting. "Are you some kind of robot?"

"Sean.. look at the mirror there." Sean did.

"WHAAAAAAA?"

He jerked backwards, smashing into the wall behind him. He felt it… but it was a distant feeling, as if he was feeling second-hand. He stared at both hands, right hand a wrench-like object, left hand perfectly normal.

"What… the…"

Protoman sighed. "It's me, Gerrod."

"GERROD?"

Both scientists remained silent, allowing Protoman to handle the situation. "Remember the train we were riding on?"

"Yeah…"

"It slipped off the rails, and crashed."

"NO WAY!"

"Apparently, our two bodies were the only two left alive. These two - " He thumbed towards the two scientists. "Tried to rescue us, but we were too far gone. So, they transformed us into robots."

Sean blinked, several times. "So… I'm a robot now?"

Protoman nodded.

"COOLNESS!"

THAT was not the reaction any of the other three had expected. But Sean leapt into the air, coming down hard. He swung at the air repeatedly.

"This is SOOO COOL! I'm so much… stronger… I bet I'm faster! Robots don't get tired, do they? Man, can I have a code name too?"

Seeing his brother happy lightened Protoman's 'heart'. "How about Megaman?" He said, smiling.

"Megaman… cool!" he paused, staring at his right 'hand', which was a wrench-like object. "Uh… is there some way to change-"

His right hand suddenly shifted slightly, a hand coming out of the end. He jerked backwards in surprise, then extended his arms, to discover that both hands were the same length.

"Like that." Said Protoman, smugly.

"Wow… what else can I do?"

"You were built to be able to synchronize with any type of tool in existence." Said Dr. Light, causing Megaman to turn.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Dr. Light. This is Dr. Wily. Your brother's 'code name' is.. Protoman."

"Ah… you got a cool code name, Ge… Protoman." Megaman stretched, extending his reach as far as it could go. "Thanks for saving my life and all…"

"Your welcome…" Dr. Light smiled. He already liked Megaman, quite a bit.

"Well… now that we're here, what do you want us to do?" asked Protoman, moving his shield further down his arm.

"We are trying to create robots that can aid mankind, and make many jobs much more simple. Have you ever taken martial arts of some sort, and do you like building things?" Dr. Light asked Protoman and Megaman respectively.

Protoman paused. "I'm good at Judo…"

"Did you like it? Was it something you wouldn't mind doing?"

"Yes… it was fun."

"I love building things, but I'm no good at it." Said Megaman.

Dr. Light smiled. "You're good at it now. We can begin training the two of you to be able to perform to the maximum efficiency."

"Alright!" exclaimed Megaman. Protoman, seeing his brother's enthusiastic response, nodded in return. 

He noticed Dr. Wily staring at him….

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	7. Sektor 6: Learned More Than Expected...

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Sektor 6: Learned More than Expected…

Megaman entered the smallish room. A series of tools littered the room, from saws to axes, and a entire series of other pieces of equipment.

Dr. Light paused as they entered the room. He had decided to train Megaman, while Dr. Wily would train Protoman. 

"Megaman."

Megaman turned. "Yes?"

"You should be able to synchronize with any of the tools in this room."

Megaman blinked. "Synchronize?"

"The word should be in your memory…"

Megaman paused for a moment. "Oh… yes, I know what it means now. Weird."

"Attempt to synchronize with something. It should be difficult at first, but should eventually become reflexive."

Megaman glanced back, and forth, his gaze finally resting on a saw. He picked it up, in his right hand, mind scanning through his 'memory'.

"Uh…. Right hand?" He placed the saw in his right hand. "Let me see… hmmm…."

Suddenly, his right hand moved rapidly, shifted, and the saw was gone.

"Wha…" Megaman paused. "I changed it… into data?"

"That is correct. You basically take apart the tool, and reduce it to its most basic levels, storing it as memory."

"Hmm… I should know how to get it out again, right?"

"Correct."

Megaman concentrating, thinking of the saw. He found himself identifying its basic parts, what it was to be used for.

Then, with a strange noise, his right hand vanished, the saw extending from his arm.

Megaman stared at it, fairly surprised. "Try using it on that block of wood over there." Dr. Light said, gently. Megaman nodded, and walked towards the wood.

He found himself standing beside the block, sawing away. Each motion was full, precise, and strong. He was relatively surprised that he could use the saw so well.

"Now, try the hammer and nails."

Megaman turned, and paused. His hand returned to a hand, and he knelt, touching the hammer and nails. Not even having to lift them, he managed to synchronize with them, making them seem to vanish. Which brought up a question.

"Is there… a limit, to how much I can synchronize with at once?"

Dr. Light paused. "They should take up very little memory, but I suppose there is a limit. You will just have to un-synchronize with certain things as you reach your limit."

"Ah." Turning to the wall, Megaman rested the palm of his hand on it. A nail shot out of his hand area, barely sticking into the wall. Then, with a few sharp bangs of the hammer, the nail was embedded deep into the wall. He hadn't missed once with the hammer.

"Wow." He said, somewhat surprised. He went on to try out a few more tools.

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	8. Sektor 7: Subtle Meaning

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Sektor 7: Subtle Meaning

Protoman finished his generic exercises quite quickly. Aiming his blaster was child's play, and defending himself with his shield was even easier. Dr. Wily was impressed.

Protoman trotted to Megaman's training area, watching him try out a few more tools, doing them efficiently. After a short time, Dr. Light and Wily both joined him.

"You both are doing simply excellent." Complimented Dr. Light. "You wouldn't mind showing your skills to the general public in a couple of days, would you?"

Protoman gave a strange half-smile. "Why not?" he said. "It's not like anyone would recognize me."

He turned, and walked down the hallway. Dr. Light watched him go, then returned into the room Megaman was training in.

"Excellent." Said Dr. Wily, when both had left. "It seems Protoman will be useful…"

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	9. Sektor 8: Planting the Bomb

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Sektor 8: Planting the Bomb

It was late that night when both scientists retired. Megaman and Protoman didn't need actual sleep, but they found it habitually comfortable to attempt to do so. 

Megaman actually was able to go into a type of sleep, more or less shutting himself down. Protoman found himself unable to do the same.

"Of course…" he said, softly. "A guard never sleeps, while a tool-user may."

Protoman stood, silently, and began walking through the halls. The first thing he did was to enter the main computer room, and pause, staring at the screen.

After a moment of thought, he found himself with the knowledge of how to operate the computer, probably something else which was programmed into him. Resigning himself to his task, he turned off the watchful eye of the sentry cameras.

Turning, he walked outside. He had a theory of sorts, and was ready to test it out. Police and such had blocked off the area where the train crash had occurred, but Protoman had found what he was looking for.

The third body.

He didn't know why he wanted to do this. He didn't know what it would cause. But he lifted the body, and began walking towards the compound.

Once there, he felt for a pulse, and wasn't surprised when he didn't find one. Then, he hooked up the body to life support, which read 0%. After pausing for a moment, he decided to attempt to perform the action anyway.

He hooked up the body to a computer, and attempted to turn all the body's memories into a computer chip. He wasn't sure if it would work, but was willing to try.

After a few hours, he had completed his small action. He carried the body back to where it had originally lain, marked in a circle by the police.

He smiled to himself as he returned to the compound. He was certainly no simple machine.

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	10. Sektor 9: False Cheer

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Sektor 9: False Cheer

"- and so, I present the worlds first guardian robot, Protoman!"

The crowd cheered. Dr. Light had quite a way with words, and they were eager to see his creation. Protoman stepped forward from the shadows, to the awe of the crowd.

A trio of clay pigeons were suddenly fired into the air. Protoman didn't waste time, he raised his blaster, took aim, and fired at each one of them, breaking them into fragments.

The crowd gasped, and applauded as more clay pigeons were fired. Protoman wasn't even trying, he just automatically aimed and fired, awe-ing the crowd.

Then, a large beam shot past Protoman, blasting a neat circle through the stage. Protoman whirled, surprised, as another beam came directly at him.

Raising his shield, Protoman blocked the beam, deflecting it into space. Two more beams were fired at him, and he manipulated himself so the two would both impact his shield, and fire upwards.

The crowd cheered. Protoman gave a strange salute, and stepped backwards, somewhat bored. He had hoped for a major challenge.

"And next, a tool-using robot, able to use any and every tool in existence perfectly well! I bring you… Megaman!"

The crowd cheered as the energetic Megaman stepped forward. "Hello!" He called out, waving his arm in an arc, smiling broadly. 

Dr. Light pushed a few buttons, causing a few objects to rise out of the stage. Megaman paused, waiting for the shout.

"Now, watch as Megaman performs his tool-using capabilities!"

That was the cue. Megaman turned to the first series of objects, a group of wooden poles, each about half a foot in diameter.

"I'm supposed to axe these…" recalled Megaman. He raised his hand, changing it quickly into an axe. He swung two times, as hard as he could, slicing through the pole. The crowd gasped, as Dr. Light spoke onto the microphone.

"Notice that he always swings at maximum power, and never misses his target!"

That was true, Megaman never missed. He always hit directly where his previous axe-swing had taken place. He then spun to a nearby plank, lifting it off the ground. He placed it against a nearby wall, ejected a nail into it, and hammered it into the wall with two sharp swings.

"Nails form when necessary, and he doesn't miss with his hammer."

Megaman then turned to the large block of wood, sawing it in half with long, steady strokes, making much faster progress than a normal human would. He relatively quickly cut through the wood, and turned to face Protoman.

Protoman smiled, steadying himself. Megaman then hurled the log half into the air, and Protoman blasted it into fragments.

"That wasn't part of the show…" Murmured Dr. Light softly to Dr. Wily, pleased at the response. Dr. Wily ignored the comment.

"Why must we show off the two to the rest of the world?"

"They are supposed to help humans all over, it would help for humans to know what they were being helped by."

"Harumph." Dr. Wily then turned silent.

Overall, the demonstration was a large success. The general public was very impressed by the performances of Protoman and Megaman.

Back at the lab, Dr. Light turned to Dr. Wily.

"After that positive response, I believe it would be best to create the Seight 1 as we were planning."

"Excellent." Dr. Wily seemed pleased. "The group as a whole should be versatile, able to handle many different jobs, similar to the Seight 0, but not the same."

Dr. Light turned to Megaman and Protoman, who were speaking in a corner, the two sole members of Seight 0. "I agree."

"Protoman…" Megaman said, pausing.

"Hmm?"

"When… when was I born? How old was I?"

Protoman realized, with a start, that he didn't know. "I don't know."

"When were YOU born?"

"I… don't remember that either. Remember, Dr. Light said our memories wouldn't be complete."

"Oh." The two sat quietly for a moment. "We did have parents… right?"

"Of course. Everyone has a mom and a dad."

"Then… who are ours?"

Protoman lowered his head, not answering. Megaman understood.

"Maybe… it'll come back to us. Maybe we'll remember, someday."

"Maybe."

"Yeah…"

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	11. Sektor 10: Should Have Planned Ahead...

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Sektor 10: Should Have Planned Ahead…

"So, the plans are set for 6?" asked Dr. Light, for confirmation

"Yes. One able to be an expert logger, able to cut down trees efficiently. Then, one able to lift very heavy objects, and move them around. Third, one who works well with electricity, able to power sources easily, without producing waste. Fourth, one who is immune to cold, able to work in subzero temperatures. Fifth, one who is skilled at demolition, destroying useless buildings and clearing areas. Sixth, similar to fourth, one who is immune to heat, able to work in amazingly hot temperatures."

"Excellent." Commented Dr. Light. "Names are in order, however… they probably should be named by how they perform."

"Hmm…. Cut, Strong, Elec, Ice, Bomb, Fire."

"Strong? Strong's a weird name." Piped up Megaman, overhearing. "If he lifts objects, call him Lift. Or, better yet, Guts."

Protoman remained completely silent the entire time. He was becoming more and more distant as time went on, just thinking to himself.

"Guts, then. Seight 1, masters 1-6." 

Work on Seight 1 occurred shortly afterwards. With both Megaman and Protoman helping, it didn't take nearly as long as Seight 0. In fact, it took only a month for the 6 robot bodies to be created, circuits ready to be programmed. Dr. Light made the final checks.

"It seems they check out… all that's left is to implant their memory." He turned to Megaman and Protoman. "Are you prepared?"

"As I'll ever be." Was Protoman's cryptic response. Crossing his arms, he left the room. Megaman watched him leave, curiously. He then shrugged, and followed.

Both were placed into identical machines. Lying down flat, a cylindrical device was arched over them, gears all over it. Not wasting time, Dr. Light and Dr. Wily turned both machines on, sending a spiral of bluish light to cover the duo from the arch. Both felt their circuits tingle, and felt themselves temporarily shut down.

When Megaman opened his eyes, Dr. Light was staring at him. "That hurt…" He muttered as he sat up, moving the arch from on top of him.

"You're a robot; you're impervious to pain." Replied Dr. Wily, briskly. Megaman stared at him.

"What would happen if a boulder crashed onto your toe?"

"It would cause pain, to me. But-"

"Well, I _expected_ that to hurt. That's worse than it actually hurting in a lot of ways. And I still feel it… but it's distant." Megaman leapt off the table, turning to Dr. Light. "Did it work?"

"I believe so. The data won't be perfect, nor remotely as thorough as your own, but it should perform adequately." Dr. Light stared at the computer screen, at the similar copy of the mental programs of Protoman and Megaman.

"Will they have our memories?" Asked Protoman.

"No… but they should be able to think for themselves. Their personalities should be different, as well. The programming isn't quite perfect…"

The first two masters, Cutman and Gutsman respectively, were created within a week. They were not, however, activated, it was suggested to activate the entire Seight at once.

Dr. Light yawned, stretching, as it was late at night. "You rest, Light… I'll begin working on the next one."

"Thank you, Dr. Wily… Good night. Be sure to get some rest yourself when your tired."

Dr. Wily retired for the night. Megaman had spent the day roaming the compound, repairing anything which needed fixing, and adding a few 'improvements'. He had already managed to use a large amount of spare parts to create something he used to enjoy – a television. Dr. Light had smiled, watching Megaman energetically work, at one project or another.

Protoman, however, had spent a good deal of time simply watching the two scientists work. Neither he nor his brother was programmed to be able to program other robots, that would have been entirely too complicated to perform. However, he still watched. Learning.

Dr. Wily turned to the next 'Robot Master', as they were beginning to be called, number three. This one was named 'Elec', to be named 'Elecman' when he was completed.

"Dr. Wily."

Dr. Wily turned. "Yes, Protoman?"

Protoman walked directly past Dr. Wily, touching the Robot Master's face. He stared for a moment. "I'll help you… but leave this one for last."

Dr. Wily raised an eyebrow. "Last?"

"Yes… I can't explain why."

"Very well, the order in which this is performed doesn't matter to me. Are you certain you can help well?"

"Very certain…"

"Very well. The next of Seight 1 is Ice…"

Over the next week, the remaining four robot Masters were completed. Cutman, Gutsman, Iceman, Bombman, Fireman, and Elecman were the six total. Protoman's help was very useful, he had watched the scientists enough to have a general idea of what he was doing, and didn't require sleep.

Finally, Dr. Light activated the six, who were lined up on the wall, in a standing position. As each awoke, they blinked once, twice, then kept their eyes open, blinking from time to time as they were programmed to do. 

"What's… going on?" said Iceman. He was smaller than the rest, and a soft blue color. He struggled a bit, managing to release his binds, and standing on his own power rather than leaning against the wall.

Bombman activated next. "Awake!" Was his first words, literally leaping off his binds. He stopped in front of Dr. Light. " You're… Dr. Light? Heh, I know you…"

"Excellent…" Cutman awoke shortly afterwards. He reached backwards, and unfastened himself manually, dusting himself off. "It seems I'm awake…"

"So am I." While Cutman had been releasing himself, so had Fireman. He massaged his left 'hand', which was shaped somewhat similarly to a metal tunnel.

Gutsman awoke, a bit afterwards. Signifying his awakening by jerking forward, tearing his binds from the walls. "Great…" He said, having a particularly deep voice.

There was a pause, while everyone stared at Elecman. He hadn't stirred yet. They paused for a few more minutes, Dr. Wily tapping his feet. Then, Elecman's eyes slowly opened. He didn't blink, as the others had done, he simply opened his eyes slowly.

He stared at the group, slowly blinked once, then glanced backwards, at the binds holding him to the wall. He silently unfastened himself, standing tall, and crossing his arms. He lowered his head, slightly, not saying a word.

Dr. Light paused, then shrugged. The Seight 1 seemed to be functioning well enough. "I am Dr. Light, as you may know…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
